Chapter 2 2. Those who have forgotten the past

Everyone quickly surrounded Dr. Shapro.Natalie was eager to know more.Maxim remembered: he had heard of this strange man. Sister Gordoin had seen him from a distance in Nice one day. "What I am about to say, or my brief introduction," began the doctor, "is not at all a legend, nor any of the nonsense of Jericho. I repeat, however implausible, I am speaking of the real person True. The person who told me this was not a stranger, but a person who saw it... a colleague of mine, retired, and a neighbor in the country, his name is Val Doctor Raj. "That is to say, about twenty to twenty-two months ago, a cruise ship of the Eastern Shipping Company returned from Indochina and passed the sea outside the port of Nice. At that time, the sea was gloomy and the visibility was extremely low due to the clouds. However, Before reaching Cape Antibes, the captain on duty noticed something floating with the wind and waves, which seemed to be the wreckage of a shipwreck. At the same time, he saw something like a person on the wreckage, a figure..."

"A corpse," Maxime interrupted him with a sad face. "To tell the truth," continued the doctor, "the man was brought up about ten minutes later, unconscious, pale, with blood clots in his beard, and looked almost dead. A man so weak and dying The tenacity with which he was able to hold onto the wreck of the boat was nothing short of a miracle. It took a lot of effort to get him to let go." "So, this corpse is still alive..." Maxim said. "He is still alive. My colleague Verlage is the doctor on board. This is his last voyage. He found that the drowning man still has a heartbeat. Although he was seriously injured, he still has hope of survival."

"Accidental injury, or criminal injury?" Maxim asked as if he were a policeman. "There is no doubt that it was a case of intentional wounding. He was stabbed in the shoulder, not too deep, and had a club on the head that would have killed him in any ordinary man." gone." "What's unusual about him?" "His stamina. Verlage has told me more than once that he has such strong muscles, such tenacious vitality, and that he has never seen such an outstanding person. He was sent in a half-dead state. When I went to a clinic in Marseilles, the doctor saw that he was getting better every day, and the speed was almost miraculous."

"Where is he from? Who is he?" Natalie asked. "It's a mystery. He's been hit so hard he can't remember anything." "At first it was like this...but then?" "Then? Three weeks later, he disappeared." "Huh? What did you say?" "One evening, the nurse on duty walked into his room and found no one there. He got up from the bed, jumped out of the window and ran away, but the ward was on the second floor, and there was a deserted road outside the window." "No hello? Nothing left?" "No, he left a closed envelope with 'With thanks' written on it. Inside were ten thousand-franc notes. When he was picked up, however, he had only a broken Clothes, there was no money in the clothes, not even a small piece of paper, and he never left the hospital bed or spoke to anyone."

"Where did the ten thousand francs come from?" "There is no clue, either of this or of anything else. The only thing people found out was that when they rescued him, there were a few embroidered arms on what looked like a wet rag of his shirt. From this the clinic gave He was given a title and nickname, Baron de Ellen-Roque. Later, the only tabloid that reported the incident called him that. There was a political and financial crisis at the time, so the incident did not Any repercussions. But the Baron must have read the article, because a year later a visitor came to my neighbour, Verlage, and he introduced himself with a smile: 'Oh, my dear doctor, I don't recognize you. Me? I am the Baron de Ellen-Roque.  …'"

There was a moment of silence, and then Natalie whispered, "Your story is fascinating. What happened to that weirdo during the year?" "He made a fortune." "Get rich?" "Yes, he sold real estate on the Côte d'Azur and in Paris, bought and sold, sold and bought, and he became a millionaire." "Did your friend ask him about the past?" "Ask ten times and twenty times. But, to no avail. His real name, his past, his birthplace, where he lived, Alan Rock can't say anything. He doesn't know anything Know." "How could this be?"

"It is entirely possible and natural. He was hit hard by a club on the head, and the injury was aggravated by drifting on the sea while holding the plank. Coupled with the hunger and cold, he lost some memories as a result. I thought it was just a temporary phenomenon, but in the end it seems that it cannot be changed. I repeat, this is a completely explainable and very logical phenomenon." Dr. Gengpuluo continued, "Now, don't talk about hurting the spine, as long as some people start to be injured When a population of cells known to man is accidentally suppressed, we can determine what we will forget, a certain period of life, and maybe one day we can artificially make you forget this or that kind of thing, yes It's not like this?"

"That's really convenient!" Maxim said, "It's as easy as pulling out teeth if you want to get rid of bad memories in the future!" But Nathalie's interest grew, and Fauerville became more and more nervous. "What is he doing now? Where does he live?" asked the girl. "Lives in the old village of Eze, on top of a cliff...he restored an old castle." "Can you see him? Does he deal with people?" "In the past six months, I can see him from time to time." "Doctor, have you seen him with your own eyes?" "I saw him only once, a week ago. He was tall, thin, not good-looking, far from handsome, but his expression was strong and resolute! At the same time, he was very kind! . . . He gave me Made a great impression. Plus, he's talked about everywhere in the neighborhood!"

"What are you talking about?" "First of all, his case, which is really confusing, and other things." "What things? What is he doing?" "Do good. Do a lot of good." Natalie was momentarily at a loss for words. "He became a philanthropist, didn't he?" "No, not exactly." "A missionary apostle?" "Not really. He's a chivalrous man. I've heard some unbelievable stories about him from my friends. Reveal the true colors of the bad guys, let the bad people eat their own fruits, and make the tragic stories happy. ending..."

Falwell smiled coldly. "In a word, another Count of Monte Cristo... Prince Rodolphe. Very plain and ridiculous." "When you get to know Aaron Rock, you probably don't say that anymore. He's a real guy, a really nice guy." "Is that so?" said Falville jokingly, "is he in black velvet?" "Dress like the common man, but in a different way. Distinguished manner. Very dignified." "And gloomy face, isn't it? The wretched look of a relegated angel? In short, the Byronic figure Nathalie was after..." "totally not."

"So, a saint?" Natalie said. "Absolutely not," replied the doctor in the affirmative. "A sage is not arrogant, he is quite proud sometimes; a sage is not as witty, so lively, and so light-hearted in his speech." "We also heard that he can perform miracles," said Janine Godouin. "Oh! that's a joke," objected the doctor, "and it's only superficial. In fact, it's just being right and adapting, and especially to all who approach him, he has a strange, a mysterious quality." Therefore, in all contact, two-person sports, such as fencing and boxing, he is undoubtedly a head above his opponents, and the reason is not so much his superior strength and agility. His kind of deterrence." "Why is there such a deterrent?" "Because his experiences set him apart. People imagine him as someone who lives in another world, a person who has forgotten everything. It is impossible for him to think the same way as ordinary people. Of course it is correct. .It seemed that there would be something superhuman and supernatural in such a man." "I'd love to see him, this Baron de Ellen-Roque!" Nathalie exclaimed. Falwell smiled coldly. "Hey! You're impulsive again." "My God, it's really worth being impulsive!" "I was talking about that Jericho just now. It suddenly became Aaron Rock... an adventurer who worked hard to play wizards for old ladies and little girls." "What do you think? I don't care if I'm an old lady or a girl, I'm interested in this man. That's what a hero is." "An idiot hero! A charlatan!" "If I'm disappointed at that time, I deserve it. I just want to see him." "Why, you want to marry him now?" "I just want to see him. Is it possible, Doctor?" "Very well. He is not a shady man. My friend Verlage can introduce you." Falwell shrugged his shoulders and said sarcastically: "He just introduces himself. A magician comes when he says it, like a devil jumping out of a box." "I didn't expect you to be right," said the doctor cheerfully. "Alan Rock told those who believed in him that when in danger, just clap your hands three times and shout his name three times to the ground, and he will come." "Is it facing the direction of hell?" Maxim said jokingly. "Do you really believe he's going to show up, Doctor?" said Natalie. "You might as well give it a try." "But I'm not in danger!" When Maxim heard it, he jumped up. "What! You're safe? Where's that Jericho? Where's the ladder? Where's the footprint I found?" "nonsense!" "All the truth! I don't mean to frighten you, but the situation is tense." "Then, I'm calling his name!" "Call right now. There's nothing wrong with having an extra helper, and such a good one at that! God knows, a magician..." Everyone laughed, everyone was very happy, only Forville looked sullen. Natalie stood up, came to the edge of the open space, lowered her head towards the direction of hell, and clapped her hands three times slowly and seriously. "Nothing!" she said. "No smoke! No cracks in the ground!" "That goes without saying! You didn't even call him by his name!" "Ah! indeed," said she, "I am astonished! Do you think he will come out with a flame?" She called his name solemnly, biting every sound very accurately. "Alan Rock!...Alan Rock!...Alan Rock!" On the third call, a voice came from the other end of the clearing.A shadow appeared between the two pillars of the flower shed, as if it had emerged from the ground.A person stepped over the railing briskly and walked forward clearly. "Miss, did you call me?"